1982 Grand Puy Lacoste
By Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste
1982 Grand Puy Lacoste from Château Grand Puy Lacoste, Pauillac, Bordeaux
In the venerated terroirs of Pauillac, Bordeaux - where the gravelly soils have for millennia whispered promises of vinous brilliance - stands the esteemed Château Grand Puy Lacoste. Esteemed connoisseurs regard their offerings with expectant cellars and thirsty palates. No vintage, perhaps, embodies this anticipation quite like the 1982 Grand Puy Lacoste from Château Grand Puy Lacoste.
An Archetype of Excellence: The 1982 Vintage
The 1982 vintage is one that exudes a synergy of favourable climatic factors converging in a tour de force of viticulture. Sumptuous warmth drenched the vines throughout the growing season, yielding grapes plump with potential, which through alchemical prowess were transformed into bottled history. This prized vintage represents not merely a high-point for Château Grand Puy Lacoste, but stands as a memento of an extraordinary year throughout Bordeaux.
On first encounter, the wine boasts an aristocratic poise, its deep ruby hue a prelude to the complexity within. The olfactory theatre therein presents an opulent cast of ripe blackcurrants, cigar box, and subtle hints of truffle; an arresting bouquet that signals the pedigree of this exceptional Pauillac.
A Palate Finely Poised Between Power and Elegance
The 1982 Grand Puy Lacoste is a masterclass in balance; a dexterity that holds one's attention through to the final act. Its tannins, once robust in youth, now exhibit a finesse only decades can bestow. Each sip delivers flavours matured to perfection, with layer upon graceful layer of cassis, cedar, and spice cascading upon the palate with undeniable authority.
Tasting the 1982 Grand Puy Lacoste today is to acknowledge not just its intrinsic quality but also its provenance as an investment-grade artefact—a reflection of a year when Bordeaux set the gold standard for Fine Wines across the globe.
Its stature within your portfolio could be equated to that of an Old Master painting; appreciable on both aesthetic and fiscal levels. For collectors and investors alike, securing this storied elixir is less acquisition; more the adoption of a tangible slice of winemaking legend.
The 1982 Grand Puy Lacoste invites earnest contemplation—a confluence of illustrious heritage and unrivalled quality delivering a compelling narrative worth savoring and surely one worth investing in. Allow it to grace your collection and it shall incontrovertibly bestow upon it a touchstone of excellence.
Market price (GBP)
£2,520.00
12x75cl
Highest score
96
POP score
157.5
Scores and tasting notes
This is a tour de force, and one of the all-time great Grand-Puy-Lacostes ever produced, as I hope the 2000 and 2005 will become. This is an inky/purple, beefy, broad, super-rich Pauillac revealing classic creme de cassis notes intermixed with hints of spring flowers and crushed rocks. Full-bodied with sweet tannin, shocking concentration, and layers of fruit, this irresistible 1982 is still an adolescent in terms of its evolution. Anticipated maturity: now-2035. Release price: ($85.00/case)
Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 29 June 2009
Tasted at Pebbles/Zachy's 1982 dinner in Hong Kong. This has always been one of the standout wines of the vintage even though it was ferociously backward for many years and only now seems to be entering its drinking plateau. This bottle is consistent with the one last year: broody fruit of blackberry, blueberry and cedar with a lifted scent of bay leaf. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins that provide this Pauillac with a rigid backbone. It is masculine, an 'inward-looking' Claret, traditional in style but with wonderful depth and length on the symmetrical finish. This is an awesome, redoubtable Pauillac for hardcore claret-lovers only! Tasted November 2012.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal Jan 2013